


What She Sees

by A Small World (Datawolf39)



Series: A Little Thief of Hearts [7]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Akira loves Everyone, Iwai is too, POV Outsider, Sojiro is protectective, and everyone loves him, mostly - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 02:40:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29342955
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Datawolf39/pseuds/A%20Small%20World
Summary: Kawakami watches, she sees, and in the end, she acts.
Relationships: Kurusu Akira & Everyone
Series: A Little Thief of Hearts [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1356886
Comments: 6
Kudos: 14





	What She Sees

**Author's Note:**

> So on one chapter of a story in this series Tbats asked for Kawakami to get involved with caring for Akira when he's Little. Of course I then proceed to write anything but that except for the last little bit of this story. Hope that it's still enjoyable anyway though.

Sadayo Kawakami had not always been a good teacher or even a good person, and it had taken a long time, but she had come to terms with it. In many ways she was a coward, but that was yet another thing that she was well aware of, because whatever else she might have been, she was an observant person, both on a personal level, and a public one.

She had to work not to notice so many things, especially when it came to Kurusu. Anyone with half a brain could tell that the rumors that surrounded the boy, were so far from the truth that it was laughable, and yet, she had been so preoccupied with her own struggles that she had convinced herself that it would be a waste of time, and energy to intervene in any way.

Then came the call, and subsequently, she began to meet her student in his room. It was highly inappropriate, to say the least, but at the same time, she began to look forward to their interactions outside of the school. Kurusu was a very good listener, always content to let her go on about the issues that she was facing, and he had even helped her, revealing his secret to her in the process, trusting that she wouldn’t use it against him. That was a ridiculous prospect since, even at her worst, she had not been one to betray those who had trusted her. Slowly, she regained her initial spark, and relearned the joy that came with teaching, and it as all thanks to him.

All that was to say, that she kept a close eye on him, after that, observing others to be sure that they hadn’t caught on to him, and helping him out in any way she could, from free time in class, to massages, and doing laundry when he called to ask her too. She liked being part of his network, and knowing that she was helping him. She could never repay him for what he had done for her, but things like that helped her feel as though she was worthy of what he had risked.

Things seemed to be okay for the most part, and she watched as his friend group became ever larger, marveling at the diversity his group showed. There was always something though, a piece of Kurusu that he seemed determined to keep to himself. She often wondered what other secret he held, since it seemed far more important to him than even his… other pursuits. 

One day, she noticed a change, a feeling of calm came from Kurusu, and Takamaki seemed to share glances with him more often than before. At first she suspected that the two of them were dating, but, somehow it didn’t seem like it. She didn’t pry, though, because while she was indeed curious, it was not any of her business. Truly, as long as Kurusu was happy, and for the most part, outside of a day or two, he was happy, she would be happy for him as well.

~

“I am not a cheater!” Kurusu snapped, anger clearly on display.

For a moment Kawakami was frozen, she had heard many people say such slights, and it never seemed to truly anger Kurusu. It wasn’t fair, that even after nearly a year of very good behavior, and the revelation of the fact that his criminal record was a trumped up charge at the hands of a corrupt politician, that people still clung to the idea that he was a liar and a danger to others.

She feared that such things would never fade, but Kurusu always seemed to take it in stride, sometimes he even laughed, seeming amused at the creativity behind some of the rumors, as was the case after someone had been overheard wondering if Kurusu was the boss of some shady crime organization. He'd struggled not to laugh, and she'd even managed to catch a glimpse of an image on his phone. It had been drawn by a talented artist, and depicted Akira dressed in a suit and tie, glaring down some unseen person, asking where his money was.

But today was different, Kurusu had seemed off-kilter from the moment that he had entered the room, and the sly remark had been enough to bring forth his rage. Takamaki stood, and pulled him into a hug, whispering something to him, and whatever it was, seemed to douse the flames of his anger immediately, and panic came to the forefront. Kurusu pulled away from his friend, and flew out the door of the classroom.

When it seemed she had intent to follow, Kawakami found her voice. “Have a seat.”

“But,” the girl started to protest.

Kawakami shook her head, and Ann sat in the seat with a resigned sigh. After that Kawakami started the lesson.

The following days were… not good. It was as though time had reverted to the start of the start of the school year. Kurusu was quiet, and barely there, seeming to drift through his days, only speaking when asked a question, and it was a hard thing to bear witness to. She wanted to do something, to provide some sort of help, but she felt so powerless because she had no idea what he needed. 

One night after grading her papers, she decided to turn in early, hoping that some rest might help her come up with a plan. 

She knew in an instant that she was dreaming, everything was just a bit too bright, and there was no one there, no matter where she looked, which was a near impossibility given that she lived in the city. 

Then she spotted someone up ahead of her, and without her consent she began to run. Who was-? “Takase-kun!” She called out, recognizing her old student. The boy stayed turned away from her, and began to walk away, and no matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t catch up to him.

“Wait!” She called, but he didn’t, and in the space of time between one blink, and another, the boy was gone. She fell to the ground, unable to bear the weight of failing him yet again.

With a jolt, she opened her eyes, and gazed about her room. She couldn’t help Takase, and no matter how much she regretted her part in his death, it was something that she couldn’t change, but Kurus- no Akira, was another matter. There was still time, he was despondent yes, but she still had time to help him.

She had wanted to talk to him alone once school let out the next day, but a faculty meeting made that impossible, so she decided that she would just make a house call. It should be fine right? It had fallen out of practice in recent times, but teachers used to do home visits all the time, and it wasn’t like she didn’t know where he lived.

She thought about waiting, what was one more day in the grand scheme of things after all? But she shook that thought away as quickly as it had come. If something were to happen, she purposely forced away the thought of him still and lifeless, an image that had haunted her for days when she had heard that the leader of the Phantom Thieves had killed himself, she knew would never be able to forgive herself for being too much of a coward to check on him. She needed to be sure that he was okay, and that she did everything she could to help.

Decided, she packed up her things, and left the school. It was a nice enough evening, and she managed to calm a bit as she made her way to the train station. Before she knew it, she was in front of the cafe, and just as she was about to open the door, she heard voices. There seemed to be a lot of people, and she even recognized several of them as students at Shujin. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. He was clearly getting the support he needed, and so it would be better if she left right?

Suddenly, the door was opened, and she came face to face with a very dangerous looking guy, dressed in a black shirt, blue jeans, and black boots. A bag of trash in his left hand, showed his reason for exiting the cafe. “Need something?”

“I was- I mean I,” she stammered.

“Kawakami-sensei?”

Kawakami gazed behind the man in front of her, and caught sight of Ann.

“You know her?” the man asked over his shoulder.

Ann nodded. “She’s my homeroom teacher.”

“I, um, came to check on Kurusu. He’s been rather sad lately, and I was concerned that he might be in some type of… trouble.”

“That kid,” a gruff voice sighed from inside. “Let her in.”

Iwai stepped out of the way, and Kawakami walked into the cafe. It was more crowded that she had anticipated, but aside from the man at the door, and a young girl with bright hair, she recognized everyone. There was the student council president, and another in her year, the Okumura heiress next to her. Takamki, who she had seen, and Sakamoto, were seated in the next booth. Then there was Sojiro Sakura, Kurusu’s guardian whilst he resided in Tokyo, and the bright haired girl behind him. There was also evidence that there were more people about, judging from a uniform blazer from another school, and the coats piled in an unused booth.

“So you’re his teacher, huh?”

“Yes. Is he here?”

“Yeah, in his room.”

“Can I see him?”

“Futaba, go tell him that he has a visitor okay?” 

The girl nodded, and scurried off up the stairs.

“Do you want some coffee?”

“Yes please,” she said, sitting on one of the bar stools.

She was halfway done with the cup when the girl returned. 

“They were actually about to come down when I got up there. He said he wants to come down still, but…”

“What is it?”

The girl looked at Kawakami briefly before moving her gaze back to Sojiro, “he’s just a bit scared.”

“I see,” Sojiro said. “Do you really care about his well-being or are you here out of some feeling of obligation?”

She was startled by the question, and honestly a little insulted as well. “First of all he’s my student, and so yes I feel obligated to care, but I also… well he helped me, and didn’t have to, so if there is anything that I can do to help him, I am going to do it.”

Sojiro smiled. “Good answer.”

It was then that she realized that he had been testing her. The nerve of that man!

“Tell him it’s okay, and bring the others too.”

She nodded, and went back upstairs.

“I’m warning you now,” Sojiro said, his voice deadly cold, “you are about to see something really private, and if you hurt any of them, in any way, because of what you see here, you will not like the consequences.”

Kawakami wanted to be upset at having been threatened, but somehow she couldn’t be. “I understand,” she said with a nod.

A few minutes later she heard footsteps, and she looked up. Behind the girl were three others, The first was a tall boy with blue hair, he was attired in a fox onesie, and she felt like she should recognize him for some reason, but before her brain could make the connection, her gaze slid to the person behind him.. Kurusu was clothed in a cat onesie, and was holding a real cat in his arms. Bringing up the rear, attired in a unicorn onesie, was Makoto’s sister, Niijima Sae.

Kawakami blinked, uncertain of how she should react.

The cat meowed softly a few times, and Akira smiled down at it. “Kay,” he whispered just as softly, and sat the cat on the ground. After he stood up, he padded over to where Kawakami sat, and slowly raised his head so that they made eye contact. “Tank you for worrying bout me,” he said. 

Sadayo blinked, why was he talking like a little kid? A quick glance around showed that no one was surprised at his way of speaking, so they all knew something that she had yet to pick up on.

“You’re welcome,” she said. “I’ve been worried.”

He shyly gazed up again. “I kay. Ev’ryone, made me see I was being silly.”

“What happened?”

Akira frowned. “People at school are meanies, an Kira jus want not to hurt ev’ryone. But Uncle Moon made me see I not need to run cause I belong right here.”

“Are you happy, being here?.”

“Uh-huh!”

“Good. Well, then, I guess I’ll head, home, since everything seems to be under control.”

“Not wanna stay? We’s having pizza.”

“I don’t think-”

“Please Auntie Kiki,” he begged, looking at her with unholy, tear filled, puppy dog eyes, and biting his trembling lip.

She was caught and she knew it. “Alright,” she relented, “but only because homemade pizza is a favorite of mine.”

“Yay!” Akira cheered, bouncing in place.

Sojiro gave her a knowing glance.

A hastily covered laugh had her glaring at the man who had opened the door. Scary or not, laughing at something like that was just plain rude.

A hand on her own, brought her focus back to Akira. “Auntie Kiki, dis is Yu, my brother, and our sister Sae Sae,” he said, pointing to the other two onesie wearers. 

They both offered her a wave.

“Not need be shy,” he said as though two minutes ago he hadn’t been just as shy as they were. “I know! We tell our story now!”

The other two looked up, shyness seemingly forgotten.

“One minute, you three, food first.”

The overlapping trio of, “Daddy”, “Papa”, and “Uncle Jiro”, had Sojiro laughing. 

“I know, I’m mean, but I can’t let my boys, and my princess starve,” he said, with a focus mainly on Yusuke. Yusuke ducked his head, embarrassed at his Papa calling him out on his horrible eating habits.

After dinner, everyone, including the newest member of the ‘Can’t help but love Akira crew’ Auntie Kiki, settled in to hear the tale of Logan Bear, and the Witch’s Curse.


End file.
